YOUNG VOICES SPOTLIGHT: October Winners

Congratulations to the October Winners of the Young Voices Spotlight competition! Well done Emma and Zalen!

Essay by Zalen Parekh                                                                                                   

Throughout everyone's life, we’ve been asked the following question, “Who Inspires You?”. Your first thought could be a sibling, family member, or even a celebrity. But as you ask yourself deeper, you uncover that no specific individual inspires you, but rather, everyone around you. Your peers, your superiors, your family, the people you watch on TV; they all create a drive within you to keep striving and to reach for the stars.

            From an early age, we all have been pondering, we look at people, hear them talk, and think: wow I wish I could do that. I wish I could present myself to large groups like that, I wish I could look like that, I wish I could move like that I wish. I wish. I wish. Without even realizing it, we push ourselves to be more like that desired trait. That person or individual inspired you to be a better and greater you.

            As for my own personal experiences, the people whose words rang the loudest through my head were my older sister and my teachers. My father taught me how to present myself to seem more confident and be more liked. My mother instructed me on how and why to be caring and the steps you should take when you value and believe in something.

My peers familiarized me with the fact you shouldn’t give up and that without giving up, you can achieve great feats. My teachers inspired me to keep on learning and persevering. My older sister however acted as a role model in most cases, she experienced most things before and from there was able to direct me or give me pointers on how I could grow, but she inspired me by getting great grades, always caring about what she believed in and giving it her all. All of these people affected and inspired me, to give it my all, and if these people are still here today doing what they love and what they believe in, then so can us all.

Poetry by Emma Meldrom Cordero

Pills or Paint Brushes

Why do artists go crazy is something I've always wondered

They think, they write and they create, that all they ever do is ponder

In a world of hate, ignorance and fear,

they turn the terrible into beautiful with a single thought and paper.

But thoughts turn into 17 and 70 and eventually bleed out of their

creations in an endless sea of ideas stretching out of them.

They're observant and they notice beneath the lies society tells them

to make art out of it again and again until it kills in mayhem.

Why is feeling so terrible, and if so then what is considered normal?

To feel is a blessing, but to feel everything so deeply

in a lonely mess of emotion

can quickly turn into a burden that can be lethal.

Within all the pain of knowing what is around you,

to feel will never be meaningless,

and to love the world despite it all so much

to discover it will never be a

WASTE

The Williston Post is seeking creative writing submissions from kids that could possibly be featured in our online newspaper each month.

The format is open: Send us short stories, poems, opinion pieces, plays, original jokes, nonfiction essays, or anything that sparks creativity and would be fun to share with the Williston Community! Email Youth Editor at YouthEditorWillistonPost@gmail.com 

This creative writing program is being led by community member Alecia Whitaker. She is the author of four young adult novels and is momma to four sweet kids. She lives with her husband and children on Long Island. More here: www.aleciawhitaker.com.